The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-27
TARIFF EXTORTIONS.
Speech OF General r. Erlnkerhoff,
at Wilmington. o., Saturday.
Oct. 18th 1887.

state OF Ohio is one of more than ordi-
nary interest. The selection of new
Legislature, together with a Governor,
and other state officers, would OF itself
be sufficient to demand attention from
every citizen, but the fact that the
election for President and memtrrs OF
Congress comes next year, necessarily
draws into our local canvass national
issues, and national attention.
Ohio. of all the great states of thu
union, is most evenly balanced, and the
most sensitive to political changes and
hence it is looked to by politicians as a
barometer and guide for the next yelr's
campaign.
The result has been to mako our
state platforms national rather tn IN
local, and our discussions therefore szS
necessarily of similar character
OF the state platforms not more than
one tfHrd OF the resolutions or either
have any reference to purely state
matters, and the action of voters, there
fore, is more likely to be governed by
national than state issues
Upon the whole it seems fortunate
that this state of affairs should exist for
il enables US to discuss national issu's
without the personalities which pertain
to presidential or congressional ca<.'-
pafgn. 49,
Personally, therefore, in !ha little |
have to say upon this occasion i shall
confine myself to national issues, and
purely upon their merits, Wiihout any
ref renee to the candidates to be'voteI
for.
Fortunatek they are all mon o. good
character, and are crAdiSabie repfc-
sent.,iyss OF their respective parties.
TIE Republican and the Democratic
candid; ties Tor Governor are 9th nv
personal fri"n,is, and have high regard
for 9th OF them, and therefore AL
have to soy will be simply for or against
the principles they represent, an /
trust We shall approach our Iii customs
in tbs spirit.
surely. the time has CO ne at las.
when We can discuss economical On
administrative sub jects without per-
sonal animosties. The w'r of the Re
helicn is quart"r of a century behind
us, and slavery is dead and buried, AMI
gone to dust. The admin STRAIT on OF
President Cleveland has demonstrated
beyond cavil that there is no !. "TA
danger OF rebel restoration nnlrc
democratic rule than there is uniar
republican rule. We have no Intur.I:l
strlfes, or foreign complications to
distract us, and hence we ought to di
euss pending isspes purely npon their
merits. and without passion or lear,
What the Sc issu,s are it is net diff
cult 10 til. Just now, that which Is
most prominent, and upon wh;t h the
two great parties are most SHARPLY an
tasonizcd is that oil taxation.
It is question which c'nnot he
| post poned Tor under our praseui s:steIn
i OF war taxa. ion we are acc unps":ing a
surplus OF hundred millions OF tCliars
! Annually, which if unrheckH will
rapidly Yithu,sw from circulation all
| tie money ot tie country,
All parties admit that this condition
| of affairs cannot continue without
financial ruin. g,
Ihis collapse has only been tided
over temporarily by buying up bonds
not yet due, at high rates OF premium,
and this expedient will soon come to an
end. a.,
| To obtain relief permanently, as all
parties admit, there are but two wa".s
| viz: Ly squandering the surplus IN
| needless expenditures, and the other by
| reducing taxation.
Tho Hepublicans, doubtless, would
accept the first expadient if they had
10th houses of congress, aRd the presl-
dent, as they did for twenty years alter
the war, but fortunately they have only
] the senate, and therefore nothing is left
but to reduce taxation.
| In doing this the Republicans, with
substantial pnanimity,. are in favor OF
i taking off the internal revenue duties
upon tobacco and liquors, and retaining
the, 30 called, protective duties of tie
tariff. :,
The Democrats on the other hand
with substantial unanimity. are in favor
of reducing taxation by reducing the
tariff, and so arranging it as to yield al
necessary revenue with the Least pres
sure upon the people.
If il were prat ticable direct tax
levied the same as our state and county
taxss, would, by all odds, be the lightes1
and easiest; but as that cannot be done
under present constitutional provisions
the next best is internal revenue taxa
| Eon: but as that il not sufficient, We
must retain the tariff in some form, and
that we believe should he 2 tariff fol
revenue only.
Taxstion by the collection OF dutie!
upon imported goods is as old as history
but it was not known by the name o
tariff, until about thousand years ag
yhen q Moorish pirate in the NJ .ditcf
anian ses made his headquarters at
little port ia the, straits OF Gibraltar
ON the southern coast OF Spain. Here
he could conveniently overhaul an
plunder merchant vessels coming from
the ocean or going from the sea.
In TING he foun1 it more proftah!
to divide than to confiscate, and SO b,
yielding hall the cargo he would Civ
the merchant permit to come and g
at 4ill, and in this way Tarifa saved til
goose that laid the golden egg.
4 OF course, Tarifa made money. anil !,
riches increased he built a castle an |
town upon the land, and this in tim
became known by the name OF its found
er Tafifa, and as modern nations be
san to adopt his methods OF taxation
Hey very properly adopted his name
aud takaiiaa by import duties becam
kpoMn tS tariff.
were very moderate, and worry reason
able.
In Greece the average duty yp0n in
ports, was only two per cent upon he
J own citizens, and five per cent upon hi
subject allies. In Rome for q thOusan
years the average duty was only =. p
rent and the highest duty ever know
to Roman Custom House was l23 ps
cent.
In Europe the average duty to-day
less than 10 per cent.
In England, to-day, nearly one hu
dred per cent of her entire Custom
Revenue is collected from SIX article
and her whole tariff schedule inclui
, only twenty articles, and the averH:
duty is less than per cent, anl fro
these the protective principle is entire
eliminated.
Our American tariff is the hiohe
ever known among civilized natio.
and includes about 1000 separate 6
ticles with duties ranging as high
4+Jo per cenr, but ON an average 1t ant.u
equals that of the Moorish robbeI
Tariffs, who was content, at the highest
, to take one half
Il should be remembered that tariff
J in any shape is burden and not 4
, blessing, and therefore it should bt
, made as light as possible. In order to
do this 1t must be c9n6ned to its sols
object taxation.
A Protective Tariff, as it is called
does not do this, but is levied not only
TO procure revenue for the government
bnt also for the purpose of puttini
money into the pockets OF private in
dividuals. and often great deal mor'
than the Government gets,